The live stream had been going on outside of Principia for days. The twisted light of stars that couldn't keep up with the cameras flying past them. There was a countdown in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, quickly zipping through quadrillions of kilometres to target. Sure, it would have been easier to write these things in light years, but then the numbers wouldn't have been counting down as fast, and every intelligent species in the Galaxy liked a fast-moving number.
Billions of eyes had tuned in over the last twenty minutes when the last Quadrillion fell off and the counter started ripping through trillions. Halfway through the flight of these slugs, though not many had been watching, they had carefully skirted the gravitational edge of Principia's centre singularity to nearly triple their speed, which meant that they were going to hit before any enemy thought they should have been able to.
With an hour left before impact, Channel Seldiva let the Livestream go live in Principia.
Ten minutes before impact, the view count was well into the trillions around the Galaxy as they waited for impact.
Fifteen seconds before impact on the stream, the first three rounds broke out of the dark and into the solar system that the battle was taking place in. They shattered into millions of pieces, tiny camera drones that split into a matrix around the celestial bodies and... the Shade?
The countdown changed to seconds.
Viewers were keyed into either feed based on their watch history, either following the barrage in the seconds and being able to feel the heat of exploding ships and shaking planets below them, or sitting out among the star as a drone, watching Channel Seldiva's best fireworks show this season.
Of course, almost a day of combat later, most of which was a surprise live event, people aren't talking about the light show.They're talking about the baddest mother****ers in Principia:
Ferro pinned the Hecan to the ground with the barrel of her Valkyrie suits arm cannon, shoving the muzzle in the creature's mouther before dismembering it with her plasma saw in her other hand. Once the creature was missing all of its many arms, she let the suit fire, splattering its bain across the rocks of the shaking planet.
The fight was technically ongoing, but it was over in terms of entertainment value. The last of the assembled Hecan species were fleeing, out of ammo and morale as the endlessly tenacious Fotuan forces pursued, and any ship that took off from the ground was shattered by an ARMAMENT.
Not to mention the fact that the Warleader of the Ultrum was on the other side of the planet, doing what he did best, flying through things at terrifying speeds.
Ferro flicked up her visor and superheated her suit to burn off the blood and viscera that had accumulated in the past hours before patching into the head Contestant Channel. "View count?" she asked.
"Trailing off, give em something and let the others clean up." Neptune answered from somewhere that was decidedly not host station based on how close the signal was coming from.
Ferro nodded instead of answering and turned to the truly public channel, viewers and her battle sisters could hear her. "Contestants, on me. Camera drones will finish the job. Remember to jump over to the control feed if you have a direct battle subscription."
Seconds later, thousands upon thousands of Fotuans came screaming across the sky and landed in front of Ferro as a proper legion. More than half were covered in some mix of the Hecans blood and their own. Once the stragglers joined the assembly, Princess slithered up beside Ferro.
"What a glorious day!" Ferro started, "who was ready for this season of Conquest to REALLY get started?"
"SAH'LE TAH, SAH'LE TAH!" The army chanted back. It was an original Fotuan word with no proper short translation. The tangible feeling of glory that came with doing what you were built to do.
"And how lucky are we that the Shade were stupid enough to show up on the same battlefield as us during our ceasefire?"
"SAH'LE TAH!"
"Next," Ferro lowered her voice so it was clear she wasn't looking for the roaring response for a third time, "we will march on the Shade homeworlds, and grind into dust against their buildings and courthouses. We will paint the sky red with their blood for denying us our birthright. Do they think assembling a little alliance with a dying-fake God is going to save them? Do they think lies and deceit will be their saviour?"
"The Shade are comfortable with a boot on their neck. It was Arco-medean, before, but now it's ****ing ours!"
"SAH'LE TAH!"
"We lost tens of thousands of Fotuans today," Ferro took a deep breath, "weak Fotuans that were dirtying our armies with incompetence and fear. I fought the Hecan today, and I could have done it for a thousand more. Those who died deserved to die! And those who lived deserve to live and fight tomorrow!"
"SAH'LE TAH!"
"To the Hecans watching," Ferro raised her arm cannon to the air, "arm your Children and Elderly to put up a fight, but it's not going to save you."
MOR 7: INF 8
Channel Seldiva, as the nation who put forward a bid with Congress, is offering to host the Galactic Meeting with Sub Station Satellite 23
Spoiler: To the Competition of Minds: MOR 7
Show
Should you be joining us on the front against the Shade, we'd suggest a meeting between two of our brightest to ensure our plans are properly coordinated.
Spoiler: To the PPS: MOR 7
Show
We must say, the PEST package has proven impossibly useful. As always, offering proper value to the masses is the best way to get a product off the shelves.
Station Manager, Neptune.
Spoiler: To Logopathor: MOR 0
Show
Well, we offered and you chose the wrong allies.
Run little Gazelle, the Lion might catch you.
Spoiler: To the Nascence: MOR 7
Show
We see you expanding across the stars. A frigate made of glass.
Build yourself back up. We will trade the ships and munitions that you have grown around for useable organic material. Fair trade, no?
OOC: MIL for ECON?
Spoiler: To the Knights - MOR 7
Show
It was glorious to see the ARMAMENTS in combat. They are truly forces to be reckoned with, and it would be an absolute shame to see one scattered across the stars for standing in our way in defence of someone as cowardly as the Shade.
They will likely offer you coin for your services. Let them burn. I ask this as a comrade.
Ferro,
Spoiler: The Sublime Clans of Zultar MOR=7
Show
Hello and Welcome to Principia! The Home of Channel Seldiva's Hit Show, CONQUEST. Here is a quick guide to get you started!
There are three wars going on right now in the Principia sector.
1. Channel Seldiva Vs The Hecan Shade - Status: Nearing Conclusion
Channel Seldiva just won a decisive victory against the Hecan Shade during a proxy war on the other side of the Galaxy [Footage attached]. Their forces are dying and fleeing across the stars back to their home, which Channel Seldiva plans to strike this coming season in several different ways!
We'd highly suggest getting in on the action as the weaklings flee! Several territories are within the range of easily constructible hyperlanes for both the Channel and yourselves. We can even have a competition over which of us can capture more of their territories and feed more of their screaming weaklings to your mounts.
By the way, we are VERY interested in your mounts, the Channel has access to similar ones outside of Principia!
Honestly we understand that you would likely want to get to know us through proper conflict, but we prefer a bit of foreplay first. Our suggestion is to Slaughter the shade and then have a glorious battle if we don't have anyone more fun to fight at the time!
2. Logopathor vs the Ultrum - Status: Nearing Conclusion
The aforementioned proxy-war. The Logopathorians attempted to strike down the Ultrum and invade them with the Shade, but luckily for the Shade, the Ultrum had paid us generously to be on that Galaxy at the time. They had a great battle with us! And lost!
Logopathor has nowhere to run, and will likely be killed by the Ultrum this solar year, after which the Ultrum will likely need some time to rebuild.
We believe there is a third member of the Shade - Logopathor alliance, but we do not know who they are.
3. The Archive vs the Nascence - Status ???
Honestly, our money is on the all-consuming Horde, but after the amount of Psionic energies that flew around that side of the Galaxy this season, we're surprised if either side is anything more than a husk after this season.
That is pretty much the entire list of things you need to know about the system! At least in our opinion! Welcome to Principia and thanks for being a player in Season 3 of CONQUEST.
Re: Total War: Principia IC
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